Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1909
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members of the family, and 93 cases shared the bedroom with
other members of the family. Of these 93, there were 74 who
shared their bedroom with one other person alone, 9 shared it with
2 others, 6 with 3 others, and 4 with 4 other persons in the
same bedroom. Further, amongst these 93 cases, there were
64 cases who shared their bed with other members of the family;
60 of these had only one other occupant of their bed and 4 had
2 other occupants.
(c) Precautions Respecting Expectoration.—Definite information
under this head was obtainable in the case of 122
persons. Of this number, 67 apparently took no precautions
whatever, 38 made use of a spit-cup or some other receptacle for
the reception of the sputa at home, and 17 used a spit-cup both
at home and out of doors.
(d) Precautions as to the use of Separate Eating and Drinking
Utensils—It is important that tuberculous persons should
have their eating and drinking utensils separate from those used
by the remainder of the family. Of 122 tuberculous patients 79
stated that they each had such separate utensils reserved for
their use alone, and 43 were said to use such utensils in common
with those used by other members of their families.
(e) Ventilation of the Bedroom.—In all cases in which enquiry
was made as to this, it appears that means of ventilation
was provided, the bedrooms having a fireplace and chimney flue,
with windows made to open, and, if necessary, to be kept open;
but it is doubtful if such ventilation was maintained except in a
few instances.
When one remembers the chief mode of spread of tuberculosis,
by means of the expectoration, and how much the chances
of infection are increased by close association of the diseased
with the healthy, and by the absence of certain precautions, it
e 2